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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — a face
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pop — music
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. firm — a company
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — soda
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com